Message Found In a Diary
by Mariphasa Hecatene
Summary: While waiting for Sara to regain consciousness, Fuu finds a message that changes everything she thought she knew about the beguiling goze'. Spoilers for Champloo episodes 20, 21 and maybe 10.


Fuu sat in an unhappy huddle, watching Mugen scowl at the floor. It was awful to feel so helpless. She knew exactly what was bothering her volatile younger bodyguard, but she had not one more idea what to do about it than he did.

None of this made sense. The river ended in a waterfall and the waterfall spilled into a pool bounded on all sides by the canyon; anything that fell into the river must end up there, there was nowhere else to go. So if both Jin and Sara had been on the bridge when it gave way, why had they found only Sara and no trace of Jin but his glasses? If he was dead, where was his body? And if he had escaped, as both she and Mugen silently and fiercely believed, where could he possibly have gone? Was he in danger? Was he lying in the woods somewhere, too weakened and hurt to find them? The image tormented Fuu, and she was sure some version of it was what caused Mugen's glower, though more from the mystery of Jin's absence than fear for his life.

She pushed aside the painful knowledge that he had gone at her request, that it was her fault he'd been crossing a treacherous suspension bridge far from any help. He could have refused to go with Sara, she told herself firmly, in fact I thought he _would_ refuse. But he didn't…maybe he was just tired of us…

That hurt even more. Just like that, gone, a third of her family cut away with hardly even a "see you again". Fuu pushed that thought aside too. No use thinking that way now. And that old bridge could have gone anytime, that was no one's fault, no way anyone could expect that…

Mugen suddenly had enough of his own brooding and her silence, tossed down the fishing pole he'd been playing with, jammed both feet into his geta and barreled out the door. "Hey!" yelled Fuu after him, but her voice was lost in the racket of his departure, and he was just too fast. In an instant there was no trace of him but the dust of the rocky path settling in his clattering wake.

Fuu sighed. Great. At least when he's here he's company, but now it's just me and poor Sara-san…she glanced anxiously over at the unconscious woman. If only she could tell what happened when the bridge collapsed!...but they were lucky enough that she was still alive, it was asking much too much to expect her to talk anytime soon. Well..

..this would at least give her time to catch up with her diary entries. She'd kept at that diligently, always finding time for at least a few notes no matter how early in the morning or late at night. With the luxury of a whole half-hour or so and steady firelight, she might write a whole page or two.

She fished the little notebook out of her sleeve and opened it to the last entry

And something fell out.

Fuu blinked and picked it up from the floor. It was a page from the diary, cut out (cut neatly with a sharp point, she noted, not ripped) folded, and inserted where she must see it the next time she opened it up, But by who? One of the guys? Sara? Why bother to write her a letter when they could just talk to her?

unless it was from someone who now **couldn't** talk to her...

Unfolded, it left no further doubt of its author. The page was covered in neat, precise characters in a beautifully schooled hand, the rows meticulously spaced and straight. She didn't even bother to check the signature. But what could Jin have needed to tell her that he couldn't tell her himself?

She pressed it out flat by the cooking fire and settled down to read.

_"Esteemed companions,"_

(he was so polite…)

_"I know you don't understand why I've done this, so I leave this message. I hope you see it in time for it to be useful. (Mugen, if you've stolen Fuu's diary again and are reading this by yourself, take it to her right now.)"_

(Fuu had to smile sadly at the stern big-brother tone, as plain on paper as aloud. How she missed it. But…"why I've done this"? She paused, puzzled. **Not **because of me? Or that fine samurai sense of duty? Had he, just maybe (she let herself hope it) not wanted to leave them after all? )

_"Sara is not what she seems. She's an elite assassin trained and sent by the Shogunate."_

(What! Fuu's head snapped around to start at the immobile woman. Sara-san is a musician! And she's blind! How could she possibly…but...all those legends of amazing blind swordsmen, were they maybe not legends?.

She read on.)

_"I'm sure this is hard to believe, but I've seen her like before. I expect to find that she's not only an accomplished fighter but skilled in the use of certain special abilities. For reasons I can't explain, that makes her my adversary."_

_"Forgive me for not telling you this myself, but she mustn't learn that we know her secret. I know you've both become fond of her and it might be difficult to conceal such knowledge in conversation."_

For an instant, she couldn't help it, her reaction was a rush of tremendous, almost breathtaking relief. He didn't just go because I sent him, or to get away from us. He knew something we didn't. Oh, that's just like him...but...

He had gone calmly off into danger without telling them, to draw her away from them. Because she was dangerous. **Sara** was dangerous.

_"I've studied the situation carefully and I feel sure my plan presents the least risk."_

(Meaning you're the only one of us that might die because of it...)

_"Separating her from you leaves you the safest possible road to Nagasaki. Also, as long as they believe she's still with us, they won't send another assassin, which gives you still more time. Make the best use of it. Don't wait for me anywhere, but make the best speed possible. I will catch up if I can."_

_"It must be said that Sara may defeat me. If so she will seek you out. If you see her without me, please be wary: I do not know how many of us she was assigned to kill."_

Fuu stared at the neat black lines, then turned slowly to look at Sara. A terrible possibility was working its way into her mind.

_"Mugen, if you have to fight her, remember your **ki **lessons. They may be the only defense that will work."_

Only this morning she had thought of Sara as her friend, had watched her pale face and struggles to breathe with deep sympathy and worry…now there was a cold spot in her heart. Sad, pretty Sara with her sweet voice, her lost child, her easy entrance to the safety of Fuu's adopted family…

_If you killed him, you liar, if you took him away from Mugen and me, I will never forgive you; I will hate you till I die. **Liar.**_

She forced herself to read on.

_"Kasumi Fuu, thank you for bringing me on your quest. If it is not Buddha's will that I complete it with you, I wish you a safe arrival and a good life. The same even to you, Pirate Mugen; I've never had a better enemy."_

_"But I would rather think that my plan is sound and that we will speak again in a few days. Be careful until then. Jin."_

Everything in the room had changed, even the quality of the light seemed different.

_Kami-sama…_how can this be…

Fuu looked at Sara as if she'd never seen her before…and she stirred, and opened her eyes.

Fuu could not remember a word they'd said, only that she, Fuu, had sworn to go on to Nagasaki come what might, and Sara had looked sad and resigned. Her head was filled with alarms and terror. What would happen next? How could she possibly even sleep with Sara in the room, thinking these things?..she fussed with nothing, gathered up firewood, tried to think.

Then the door opened, and Mugen was back.

She went to the door hoping to whisper a few words, and stepped back at the sight of him. His face was grim, and there was such a stark, aching darkness in his brown eyes that for an awful moment she thought he was going to say he'd found Jin's body. But he didn't; he said nothing at all. Fuu clung to her smile for dear life.

"…Sara's conscious."

"Huh." Barely a grunt. He hardly seemed to see her. He was carrying Sara's shamisen and her bird-headed walking staff on his shoulder; his eyes passed her and fixed on Sara.

Suddenly Fuu did not want to be in the same room with them, did not want to hear anything they might say to each other, wanted out of here now. She shoved the pile of firewood blindly at Mugen.

"Here, you can, um, finish this, I'm going to go…to go look for Jin ."

She ran out the door, thinking, the way I looked for you…I'll walk down the river, I'll walk all night, just in case…

_"Be careful until then. Jin."_

She hoped they could be.


End file.
